Drink This: Specialty Cocktails at Eighty3

The best way to commemorate the fast-approaching conclusion of the college football season (Go Tigers Go!) is at Eighty3 at the Madison Hotel downtown with some unique sports-themed drinks this month.

Football makes me thirsty.

My fabulous friend Katie and I went to Eighty3 (one of the more underrated places to drink in Memphis) recently to undertake the difficult task of taste-testing the Football Cocktails series. There's no way we could decide whether or not to recommend these without trying all of them, right? We made this sacrifice just for you.

The football cocktails are all pretty tasty, fairly strong, and versatile, meaning they're perfect for toasting your team's victories or drowning your defeat-induced sorrows. They're in the category of fruity drinks for sure, but they weren't over-the-top sweet.

Another way of putting it: I'm more of a simple whiskey on the rocks kind of girl, but I enjoyed these and would order my favorites (noted below) again.

1. Memphis Tigers Eye of The Tiger

Toast to our hometown champions with the Eye of the Tiger, made with blue curaçao, vanilla vodka, spiced rum, and ginger ale. It's less sweet than it sounds, and a bit bluer than it looks in this photo. Go Tigers Go!

2. Arkansas Razorbacks Big Red

It's like a bourbon Manhattan with training wheels: the Big Red has apple whiskey, spiced bourbon, and a splash of cranberry juice and a lime and cherry garnish. Will order again.

3. LSU Tigers Hurricane

Not gonna lie: this drink is like alcoholic grape soda. I feel like that could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how fond you are of drinking things named after natural distasters. Geaux big or geaux home, though right? (Sorry. I tried.) Ingredients are light rum, dark rum, "hurricane juice mix", and blue curaçao.

Snack Break

At this point, we needed a snack break for obvious reasons. I recommend the Shrimp "Beignets", which were the biggest shrimp I'd ever seen, fried in what Katie said tasted like funnel cake batter (I agreed). It was a great drinking snack. There's a full dinner and lunch menu at Eighty3, by the way.

4. Tennessee Volunteers Ole Smokey

I know you Tennessee fans will buy anything that's orange, and with this, you won't be disappointed. The Ole Smokey tasted like Southern brunch on a beach: Jack, peach schnapps, OJ, pineapple, and a splash of grenadine. Will order again at aforementioned brunch.

5. Ole Miss Rebels Hotty Toddy

Which came first: the nonsensical cheer or the drink? Who knows. This twist on a traditional Hot Toddy drink tastes exactly like a warm, liquid Red Hot candy, so keep that in mind. It has Jack Daniels "Tennessee Fire" (basically Fireball), tea (allegedly), and lots of honey and lemon. It will warm you up for sure.

All of the cocktails are $10. Katie and I will testify that there is plenty of bang for your buck included in that price. Eighty3 will offer the College Football Cocktail Series until the very end of college football season.

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Author: Holly Whitfield

I write about what’s going on with Memphis music, food, arts, events, sports, people, and culture. Memphians love Elvis and barbeque with a passion that must be seen to be believed, but there is so much more to this place.